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 Exterior of the Troubadour in 2006 | |
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| Location | 9081Santa Monica Boulevard,West Hollywood, California |
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| Coordinates | 34°04′53″N118°23′22″W / 34.08138°N 118.389399°W /34.08138; -118.389399 |
| Type | Nightclub |
| Genre(s) | Folk, singer-songwriters, rock,heavy metal |
| Seating type | standing |
| Capacity | 500 |
| Opened | 1957 |
| Website | |
| http://www.troubadour.com | |
TheTroubadour is anightclub located inWest Hollywood, California, United States, at 9081 Santa Monica Boulevard just east of Doheny Drive and the border ofBeverly Hills. Inspired by a visit to the newly openedTroubadour café in London, it was opened in 1957 byDoug Weston as a coffee house onLa Cienega Boulevard, then moved to its current location shortly after opening and has remained open continuously since.[1][2] It was a major center forfolk music in the 1960s, and subsequently for singer-songwriters and rock. In 2011, a documentary about the club,Troubadours: Carole King / James Taylor & The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter, was released.[3][4]
The Troubadour played an important role in the careers ofHoyt Axton,Jackson Browne,the Byrds,Neil Diamond,Elton John,Eagles,Carole King,Love,Joni Mitchell,Van Morrison,Bonnie Raitt,Linda Ronstadt,JD Souther,James Taylor,Tom Waits, and other prominent and successful performers, who played performances there establishing their future fame.
In October 1962, comedianLenny Bruce was arrested onobscenity charges for using the word "schmuck" on stage; one of the arresting officers wasSherman Block, who would later becomeLos Angeles County Sheriff.[5]Michael Nesmith sometimes worked as anM.C. at the club in the 1960s, before the formation of the music groupthe Monkees.[6]Buffalo Springfield debuted at the club in 1966, andRandy Newman started out there as well.[citation needed]
On August 25, 1970,Neil Diamond (who had just recorded his first live album at the Troubadour) introduced Elton John, who performed his first show in the United States at the Troubadour. ComicsCheech & Chong andSteve Martin were discovered there in the early 1970s. In 1972,Peter Yarrow,Lazarus played in April andCarly Simon,Harry Chapin,Bill Withers,Randy Newman, and Melanie played in May.[7] In 1974,John Lennon,Harry Nilsson andRingo Starr were ejected from the club for drunkenlyheckling theSmothers Brothers.[8] The same year, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band performed third on the bill with ex-Byrd Roger McGuinn headlining, going on stage at 1:45 in the morning. In 1975, Elton John returned to do a series of special anniversary concerts. In November 2007,James Taylor andCarole King played a series of concerts commemorating the nightclub's 50th anniversary and reuniting the two from their 1970 performance.[9]
The Troubadour featurednew wave andpunk in the late 1970s and early 1980s, includingBad Religion,Flipper,The Meat Puppets,Napalm Death, andRedd Kross. L.A. residents and proto-grunge bandMelvins have played the Troubador numerous times, including live tapings forCarson Daly in 2012 and 2015. The club features in the 1972 filmCisco Pike.
In the 1980s the club became associated withglam metal bands such asCandy,Cinderella,Guns N' Roses,L.A. Guns,Mötley Crüe,Poison,Ratt,Warrant andW.A.S.P. Guns N' Roses played their first show at the Troubadour, and were also discovered by aDavid Geffen A&R representative at the club. It continued to attract non-glam metal acts through this time and into the 1990s such asFiona Apple,Steve Earle,Mudhoney, theRed Hot Chili Peppers,Silverchair andRadiohead.Incubus would intercut live footage from their performance at the club on February 25, 1995 into the video for their singleTake Me to Your Leader in 1996.[10]
In the 21st century, the venue is well known for promoting artists as diverse asSons of Habit,Ole 60,Arctic Monkeys,Bastille,Billy Talent,Jason Mraz,Coldplay,Franz Ferdinand,Kina Grannis,Ray LaMontagne,Lawson,the Libertines,Melt Banana,Metz,Joanna Newsom, andOrville Peck.Rise Against filmed at the club five nights in a row for a DVD,Generation Lost. On April 1, 2016, it saw the first show of Guns N' Roses sinceSlash andDuff McKagan had rejoined the band.Busted's first show as a reformed band in America was performed at the Troubadour in June 2017.[11] The first concert ofGrace VanderWaal's first national tour was held at the Troubadour on November 5, 2017.Stone Temple Pilots' first live performance with their newest singerJeff Gutt was held in November 2017.[12]
Like many small businesses and music venues,[13] the Troubadour struggled during theCOVID-19 pandemic; it launched aGoFundMe page in May 2020,[14] which raised $70,000.[15] In August, Elton John celebrated his 50th anniversary of playing the venue,[16] and expressed his concern about the survival of the nightclub. The comedianBill Burr hosted two of his Monday Morning Podcasts from the venue to raise money during the pandemic by selling limited edition signed posters.[17][18]
– TV programme about the influential club and artist scene, on theBBC (2011)| International | |
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| Geographic | |
